Echo
by BreeZombiee
Summary: One night Noah Puckerman runs into a stripper named Echo, and he gets pulled into the boys world. But it isn't all glitter and large paychecks. There's a secret that the boy is hiding, and Noah might just be the one to help change things.


The first time Noah saw him it was an unusually rainy day in New York, the skies that had once been blue and sunny mere minutes ago were now gray and over cast, the rain pouring down in large tendrils as people scrambled to get inside. Women in suits covered their slicked back hair with newspapers as they rushed inside their office buildings, men walked briskly under their umbrellas shouting into their phones about work or kids or last night's game. The city seemed to be in fast forward with people rushing trying to get out of the down pour, taxi cabs only a flash of yellow through the thick haze. Even Noah found himself rushing back home instead of his normally lazy walk. As he stepped closer to the curb a splash of rain water came up, soaking his legs as he turned to scream at the speeding cab.

And that's when he saw him.

He was a flash of color against the otherwise grayscale city. Even the bright yellow of the cabs seemed dull next to him, it was as if time froze and before her realized it he was turning toward him, his steps never faltering. The boy looked up and Noah was met with a bright flash of blue green, surrounded by dark circles and square framed glasses. His pale skin was wrapped in a thick plush scarf. The boy noticed him and gave a small smile before he side stepped and disappeared into an alleyway.

Noah ran to catch up, his head popping into the entrance only to be greeted by nothing but the dumpster and a stray cat, as if no one was ever there at all. Noah rubbed at his eyes as he glanced around him, wondering if maybe the boy had turned last second while he had been pushing through the crowd. When after a few minutes he saw no sign of the boy, he gave up and began his slow trudge back to his house. The walk seemed even duller than before as his mind kept wandering to the boy.

Noah stepped into his apartment, basking in the warmth as a familiar bark greeted him. He smiled, bending down to pet the corgi that greeted him. As he clipped the leash to his collar and turned back towards the outside he wondered if he had just imagined the whole thing.

The second time he saw the boy it was nearly a month later. Noah had tried imagining numerous times when they would bump into each other, and the boy would smiled at him the way he did before and they'd spend their lives together. Unfortunately life doesn't work that way and Noah found himself at a strip club one lonely Tuesday night. No matter how many women and men danced he couldn't keep his mind off those blue eyes and freckled skin. He ordered another drink from the bartender and sipped slowly, scanning around the room at all the people around him. He wondered if the boy would ever come to a place like this, he doubted it.

The lights went low and the disk jockey introduced the next dancer as Echo and played a slow, haunted beat. A boy strutted on stage with pale skin covered in glitter and eyes closed, buried under black makeup. He twirled around the pole, sliding down and shaking his hips as he let the music take him. Noah was entranced, watching every move and breath that Echo took. The music started to come to an end and the dancer opening his eyes for the first time to meet the crowd. Once more Noah was looking into familiar blue green eyes. His heart stuttered and the boy looked at him in shock before regaining his composure and taking a bow before practically running behind the curtain. Noah watched the stage long after the boy left.

He stared for what seemed like hours, hoping to see him again. By the time 2am came around he counted his losses, paying his bar tab and stepping out to the cool autumn night, his body walking right into another as he stepped back, rubbing his head and apologizing before he slowly trailed off.

"Echo."

"Please don't tell me you're a stalker." The angel spoke, his voice higher than Noah would've thought it to be. The glitter was still shining on his sweat slicked skin and the black makeup was smudged beneath his eyes, adding to the darkened circles that were already there. Noah felt a ball in his throat as he looked at the guy in front of him, he seemed much smaller than he had remembered him being his hair a shiny chestnut brown and his eyes still sparkling, if a little dull.

"I-I'm not a stalker." He managed to stutter out in one breath as he continued to stare at the boy. "I swear! I didn't even know how danced here I just came to…to…" he rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed that this angel now knew that he was sitting at a strip club, on a Tuesday of all nights.

The boy chuckled softly, like music to Noah's ears as he swept his fair from his forehead, glancing at the door as if still a little wary of the man in front of him. But he couldn't blame him. "Listen, I…I can go, I just. Man I've been thinking about you for the past month." The boys eyes widened slightly and Noah groaned, continuing on in a rush, "Not in a creepy way, just..I can't get you out of my damn head and I don't even care that you're a stripper I just want to get to know you Echo!"

Echo flushed at the words, chewing at his bottom lip that Noah was now noticing was dry and cracked. "I'm a dancer." He spoke quietly, shuffling his feet as if he were trying to keep warm. "And uh… that might not be a great idea. I tend not to make dates with people from the club."

Noah nodded slowly although he was already formulating a plan to get this angel to have a coffee with him. "Don't worry Echo, I'll get you to go out with me one of these days." He smiled before wishing him a goodbye and walking back into the cold towards his house, ideas already spinning through his head.

The boy watched him go, burying his nose into his scarf to hide his smile. "The name's Kurt." He whispered to the retreating back already too far for him to hear, before turning the opposite way towards the darkened streets.


End file.
